The Renault Austral has just been put up for sale. This compact SUV replaces the Renault Kadjar and has been designed completely from scratch. It is manufactured in Palencia and is a product with few drawbacks, available only with hybrid mechanics. We were able to test it recently in its international presentation, and at the moment, Renault is promoting it heavily on television and in the media. promise that it can be yours for only 299 euros per month, but what hides that number? What is the fine print of that monthly fee?
The first thing you should know is that the offer does not refer to an access version with 140 hp, but rather we are talking about a hybrid E-Tech version with a combined 200 CV mechanics and Techno finish. This is an intermediate finish, but it has a very extensive equipment, with elements such as digital instrumentation and 12-inch OpenR infotainment system, 19-inch alloy wheels, climate control, front or rear parking sensors, speed control or recognition of traffic signals.
This Renault Austral boasts a trunk of up to 505 liters in volume and very spacious rear seats.
Some advanced driving assistance is in optional packages and we lack elements such as a panoramic roof or four-wheel steering, also an extra. However, it has everything you need (and a little more) to make our day-to-day with it as pleasant as possible. The hybrid mechanics are relatively refined – Nissan’s e-Power system is more refined but less efficient – and in addition to having great performance, it has a WLTP average consumption of only 4.6 l/100 km in this version.
The list price of a Renault Austral e-Tech with a Techno finish is 39,600 euros, but Renault says that we can take it home for 299 euros per month. The price with this promotion is reduced to just under 36,000 euros, and forces us to finance the car through a multi-option product called Renault Preference. The entry is 9,828 euros, and there is an opening commission of 868 euros, which we must pay in cash. Next, we will pay 36 installments of 299 euros per month, in addition to mandatory payment protection (954 euros).
The APR of the operation is high: we are talking about 11.77%.
The but is in the multi-option financing system itself: the final fee is a tremendous 24,076 euros. At the end of those three years we can finance the last installment, or return the car to the brand, either because we don’t need it, or because we want another Renault. In the latter case, we will again pay the entry of another vehicle and its fees. Multi-option financing obliges us not to exceed 20,000 km per yearincidentally – if we do not use our car on an average basis, we will incur penalties.
The offer of 299 euros per month, as you have seen, has a lot of small print associated with it and it is a multi-option financing with a significant cost in terms of interest. If you have the possibilities or you are a company, it can be an interesting option after doing numbers.
Photos of the Renault Austral
